Pedal operated paddling device for boats



Nov. 15, 1955 1.. H. BROWN PEDAL OPERATED PADDLING DEVICE FOR BOATS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 28, 1954 d v 3 R m 4 5 m m w a 4 m 5 k \V\ M HT R/JI. P O 3 5 W 5 w a a 7 9 a 1 3 t 9 w 2 Ma 3 9 c 3 .n A v v 5 2 v 5 W 0 o w z N. 3 W H 2. W L 1 T L ave/f H. Brown Fig.6

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Nov. 15, 1955 L. H. BROWN 2,723,640

PEDAL OPERATED PADDLING DEVICE FOR BOATS Filed June 28, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Loveff H. Brown INVENTOR.

United States Patent PEDAL OPERATED PADDLING DEVICE FOR BOATS Lovett H. Brown, Milledgeville, Ga.

Application June 28, 1954, Serial No. 439,669

1 Claim. (Cl. 115-25) My invention relates to pedal operated paddling devices for rowboats, and the like.

The primary object of my invention is to provide pedal and spring operated paddles for opposite sides of a boat which are attachable to the gunwale, will feather automatically, and are greatly simplified as compared with present day paddling devices operated by pedals.

Another object is to provide devices of the character and for the purpose above set forth embodying means for variably adjusting the paddles to work at different depths in the water.

Still another object is to provide devices for the above purposes which are easy to operate, safe, and not liable to get out of order.

Other and subordinate objects together with the precise nature of my improvements will become readily apparent when the following description and claim are read with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in plan partly broken away and shown in section of my improved paddling device attached to a rowboat;

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation;

Figure 3 is an enlarged view in vertical transverse section taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view in vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view in vertical transverse section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1; and

Figure 6 is an enlarged view in transverse section of one of the paddles.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, according to my invention a pair of duplicate right and left paddling devices 1, 3, are provided on the gunwales 5 of a rowboat 7 forwardly of the center seat 9.

Each paddling device comprises an outboard paddle 11, an operating crank shaft 13 for the paddle, a mounting 15 for attaching the crank shaft 13 to the gunwale 5, an inboard pedal 17 and means 19 operatively connecting the pedal 17 to the crank shaft 13.

The paddles 11 each comprise a pair of rectangular paddle blades 21 hinged at confronting longitudinal edges thereof as at 23, and to the lower end of a shank rod 25, so that upon swinging of the blades rearwardly in the water said blades will swing into coplanar propelling relation, whereas upon forward swinging of said blades the same will feather by folding into side-by-side relation. A U-shaped stop 27 suitably attached to the shank rod 25 and overlying the pair of blades 21 establishes the coplanar relation of the blades.

The operating crank shaft 13 of each paddle device 3 comprises an outboard crank arm 39 and an inboard crank arm 31 extending oppositely relatively, the outboard crank arm 29 carrying the paddle 11 the shank 25 of which is attached thereto by set collars 33 and setscrews 35 for longitudinal adjustment on said crank arm 29 to vary the working depth of the paddle 1.

The mounting 15 for each crank shaft 13 comprises a sleeve bearing 37 in which the crank shaft is journaled intermediate the crank arms 29, 31 transversely of the gunwale 5 for rocking movement with the outboard crank arm depending alongside the boat 7 and the inboard crank arm 31 upstanding. The bearing 37 is welded as at 38, on top of an angle bar 39 having a depending inboard portion 41 for a purpose presently clear. The angle bar 39 is welded as at 40 transversely on the front end of a horizontal rod 43 slidably adjustable forwardly and rearwardly in a mounting bracket 45 on the gunwale 5 to correspondingly adjust the paddle 11, crank shaft 13, pedal 17 and connecting means 19 according to operating requirements.

The mounting bracket 45 comprises an angle iron 47 extending along the gunwale 5 with a pair of upstanding front and rear end posts 49 in which the rod 43 is slidable and setscrews 51 in said posts 49 for locking the rod 43 in adjusted position. It is explained at this point, that the rod 43 is also rockably adjustable in the mounting bracket 45 to correspondingly adjust the paddle 11, crank shaft 13, pedal 17 and means 19 according to operating requirements.

A clamp 52 detachably attaches each mounting bracket 45 to the gunwale 5 and comprises a pair of inboard and outboard upright bars 53, 55 engaging the angle iron 47 and gunwale 5, a J-bolt 57 connecting said bars on which bar 55 fulcrums into clamping relation to the bar 53, and a screw bolt 59 in bar 55 for turning against bar 53 to fulcrum bar 55.

The pedal 17 of each device 1, 3 is rectangular and slants in upended position forwardly and upwardly, and is pivoted as at 61 at one lower corner on the front end of a supporting bar 63 inclining downwardly and forwardly from and bolted to, as at 65, the inboard portion 41 of the angle bar 39. The pedal 17 is operatively connected to the inboard crank arm 31 by a rigid upstanding post 67 on the upper end of the pedal and a link 69 extending forwardly from the crank arm 31 and pivoted at its ends to the post 67 and said crank arm 31, as at 71, 73. 'A coil spring has its ends attached to the post 67 and said portion 41 below the link 69 and the axis of the crank shaft 13 as at 77, 79, and yieldingly holds the pedal 17 in a rearward swung normal position.

As best shown in Figures 2 and 4, in the normal position of the pedals 7, the inboard crank arms 31 incline upwardly and rearwardly, and the outboard crank arms 29 and paddles 11 incline downwardly and forwardly out of the water and are yieldingly retained in such normal positions by the coil springs 75 with the inboard crank arms 31 engaging stop lugs 81 on angle bar 39 and establishing the normal position of the pedals 17, crank shafts 13, paddles 11, all as shown on full lines in Figures 2 and 4. To propel the boat 7, the pedals 17 are pushed forwardly and downwardly in opposition to the coil springs 75 whereupon the links 69 are pulled forwardly to swing the inboard crank arms 31 downwardly and forwardly, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 4. Thus the crank shafts 13 are rocked counterclockwise as viewed in Figures 2 and 4 to swing the paddles 11 rearwardly, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 3, through a propelling stroke for return to normal position when pressure on the pedals 17 is relieved. The blades 21 of the paddles 11 feather during the return stroke in the manner previously described.

The foregoing will sufilce to impart a clear understanding of my invention without further explanation.

Manifestly the invention is susceptible of modification without departing from the inventive concept and right is herein reserved to modifications falling within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is as follows:

In a paddling device for a boat, a crank shaft haw ing inboard and outboard crank arms, respectively, means rockably mounting said crank shaft on the gunwale of a rowboat, including an; angle. bar extending across said gunwale and having a depending portion and a horizontal, portion on which said crank shaft is journaled transversely of said gunwal'e, apaddle, means. attaching.

said paddle to said outboard crank arm, a. pedal, a supporting bar for said pedal fixed to said depending port-ion and on which said. pedal is. pivoted for vertical rocking movement, operating connections between said pedal and said outboard crank arm, and spring means.

tensioning said operating connections against operation,

said first named means further including a horizontal References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Thompson June 20, 1933 Gulley Oct. 10, 1950 

